To Hell And Back || The Scorch Trials || Minho

02 - A Forgetful Mind

As soon as my eyes opened, I sat straight up with no hesitation. Although I felt groggy and somewhat out of place, everything about me seemed fine. I looked at my left arm because I remembered hearing that crunching sound when I fell on it. I lifted my limb before stretching it, nothing felt wrong.

I cringed when I remembered all of the events that occurred when I was last in the Maze. I placed a hand over my stomach as I remembered the blade piercing my skin, along with the terror and pain I felt. I remembered Minho talking to me. His voice was still fresh in my mind. But, most importantly, I remember dying. Maybe I was in heaven, or maybe hell. I wasn't exactly angel material.

I lifted the white shirt I had on to examine my stomach. What I saw was a large bandage covering the majority of my skin. I expected to see something more shocking, but this is what I got.

Looking around the room I felt, odd. I felt like I've been here before, like I once knew this place like the back of my hand. The space I was in was just a simple hospital room. But it made déjà vu cloud my mind.

I ripped out the tubes that were stuck into my arms before getting to my feet. The white door stood ominously in front of me. I imagined Leo waiting for me to come out. His evil smile permanently drawn onto his face. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Then, I went and opened the door.

What I saw was nothing close to Leo's disgusting face, it was only a long corridor lit by fluorescent lights. My bare foot took a hesitant step out of the room. Soon I began walking down it. On each side of me were white doors identical to the one I had.

It felt like I had been walking on and on forever until I came to another white door. Expect this time, this one was labeled ANNE in big black letters. I didn't waste anytime seeing what was on the other side.

"Please, take a seat," was the first thing that greeted me when I entered.

A woman sat in a sleek black chair in the middle of the room. She smiled at me, trying to seem welcoming. But all I could see in her face was lies.

When I didn't move she gestured to the chair in front of her. I eyed her suspiciously as I sat down. The woman crossed her legs before smoothing out the wrinkles that formed in her white dress. They must really like white here.

"Where am I?" I suddenly blurted out.

"You're at WICKED's headquarters," she replied, leaning forward.

I scooted backwards, her stare intimidating me. "You're a creator, aren't you?"

She nodded slightly before holding out her hand. "My name, is Ava Paige."

She kept her hand extended towards me but I did not shake it. "I think you know my name."

Ava drew back her hand and set it on her lap. "I'm surprised you made it. Lots of people had to work to keep you alive, nonetheless I'm very happy you're still with us."

"Why did you save me anyway? Out of all the other people who died in the maze, why me?" I questioned.

"We still need you, Anne."

"Need me for what?"

She smiled. "The cure. We need you for the cure."

Before I could ask even more questions, and believe me there was a lot, she stopped me with a raised finger. Ava Paige seemed to become calm. Her smile faded and her face hardened.

"Now, I want you to listen to me carefully. We have to put you back into the Maze," she said in almost a whisper. "You are a vital part of the cure. This needs to happen and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Oh, that sounds like a great plan. Just put me in a place where I can't escape with the boy who almost killed me. That's just awesome." I said crossing me arms.

"That's what I'm trying to say. We are putting you in a different Maze."

"There's another Maze?!"

"Yes, with Group B," she stated. Concern crossed over her face before she continued. "To do this we will need to take away your memories again."

I stood up from the chair angrily. "You can't do this! After everything that's happened to me, you want me to forget it?!"

I didn't want to forget the experiences I had in the Maze. They made me somehow stronger. I didn't want to forget my friends like Newt, Frypan, and Alby. But most importantly I didn't want to forget Minho. I fell in love with him and those memories weren't something I was going to throw away.

"I'm sorry, Anne," she apologized. "I'm so sorry."

Suddenly out of the corner of the room from a door I didn't know was there, multiple people came through. They grabbed my arms and began to drag me away.

"You can't do this!" I screamed trying to break away from their iron grip. "Please don't do this."

Ava Paige wouldn't even look at me as I cried out for mercy. I was completely helpless. No matter how much I struggled I wasn't getting away from this. I was going to forget everything.

"Remember!" she shouted, her face blank. "WICKED is good."

I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. That phrase made my blood boil. They are not good, they are liars and murderers. But I guess I won't remember that now.